1. Field of the Invention
The present invention deals with the field of devices for cleaning fragile items such as eggs. Normally these items are conveyed and organized or accumulated into rows extending across the conveyor,. They are then passed through various egg processing configurations including cleaning mechanisms.
In egg cleaning embodiments cleaning spray is dispensed upon the eggs and the eggs are brought into contact with one or more brushes for cleaning the exterior surface thereof when traveling between a hen house and the egg packing stations. Eggs are particularly dirty including blood, dirt, feces and other unwanted contaminants on the external surface thereof immediately after the eggs are laid in a hen house and this washing step is an important step prior to candling and/or packing of the eggs. These washing stations normally extend for long sections of as long as 18 or more feet to achieve proper and thorough cleaning of the exterior surface of the eggs. The present invention provides a means for minimizing the footprint or floor space usage area of such egg washing apparatus designs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous patents have been granted for the purpose of cleaning fragile or other articles similar to eggs such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,113,190 issued Oct. 13, 1914 to W. A. Brandt on an “Egg Washing And Rinsing Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,205,117 issued Nov. 14, 1916 to G. T. Stamm on a “Machine For Washing Fruit”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,423,059 issued Jul. 18, 1922 to C. J. Williamson and assigned to Williamson Machine Company on an “Apparatus For Washing And Cleaning Eggs”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,542,347 issued Jun. 16, 1925 to C. McCullough on an “Egg-Washing Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,723,441 issued Aug. 6, 1929 to J. H. Richards on a “Machine For Cleaning Fruit”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,777,039 issued Sep. 30, 1930 to H. B. Hatch and assigned to Florida Citrus Machinery Company on a “Rubbing Apparatus”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,780,924 issued Nov. 11, 1930 to H. A. Ingraham on a “Fruit Cleaning Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,955,749 issued Apr. 24, 1934 to L. E. Jones and assigned to Food Machinery Corporation on a “Brushing Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,964,275 issued Jun. 26, 1934 to P. Secondo on a “Fruit Washing Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,035,587 issued Mar. 31, 1936 to H. J. Brandenburg on a. “Transverse Fruit Brusher”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,179,474 issued Nov. 7, 1939 to F. Stebler and assigned to Food Machinery Corporation on a “Fruit Treating Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,183,033 issued Dec. 12, 1939 to O. E. Segrin on a “Candy Brushing Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,199,831 issued May 7, 1940 to T. G. Cunning and assigned to Brogdex Company on an “Apparatus For Rubbing Or Brushing Fruit And The Like”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,301,931 issued Nov. 17, 1942 to R. S. Davis on an “Egg Cleaning Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,371,867 patented Mar. 20, 1945 to J. R. Rayles and assigned to Industrial Patents Corporation on an “Egg Washing Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,412,565 patented Dec. 17, 1946 to R. S. Davis on an “Egg Cleaning Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,442,475 issued Jun. 1, 1948 to O. W. Swanson on an “Egg Washing Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,538,331 issued Jan. 16, 1951 to R. H. Ruzsicska on an “Egg Washing Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,587,730 issued Mar. 4, 1952 to H. A. Hutchinson et al and assigned to Hutchinson on an “Egg Cleaning Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,588,787 issued Mar. 11, 1952 to F. B. Wright and assigned to Research Corporation on an “Egg Drier”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,632,901 issued to A. Markusen et al on Mar. 31, 1953 on an “Egg Washing Machine And Roller Therefor”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,640,209 issued Jun. 2, 1953 to G. W. Johnson and assigned to Gordon Johnson Company on an “Egg Washing Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,673,361 issued Mar. 30, 1954 to E. E. McCutchan and assigned to Robert E. McCutchan and Donald S. McCutchan on an “Egg Washer”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,979,746 issued Apr. 18, 1961 to C. H. Willsey and assigned to Seymour Foods, Inc. on an “Egg Washing Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,049,135 issued Aug. 14, 1962 to H. Y. Kuhl et al on an “Egg Cleaner”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,848 issued Aug. 6, 1963 to P. A. Mountz and assigned to Lathan Manufacturing Company on an “Article Washer”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,203,435 issued Aug. 31, 1965 to J. S. Kurtz and assigned to Automatic Poultry Feeder Company on an “Egg Washing Apparatus”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,252,607 issued May 24, 1966 to B. W. Rose et al and assigned to FMC Corporation on a “Machine For Handling Eggs”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,349,419 issued Oct. 31, 1967 to H. Y. Kuhl et al on “Egg Washing Equipment”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,360,817 issued Jan. 2, 1968 to J. E. Halverson on an “Egg Cleaning Machine”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,392,414 issued Jul. 16, 1968 to J. C. Cathcart on an “Egg Cleaning Apparatus”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,290 issued Sep. 30, 1975 to W. S. Peppler and assigned to Diamond International Corporation on a “Method And Means For Washing Eggs, Including Tilted Brushes”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,667 issued Aug. 10, 1976 to A. Jellema et al and assigned to Staalkat B. V. on an “Apparatus For Vertically Transporting Eggs Or Like Articles”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,276,977 issued Jul. 7, 1981 to H. J. van Kattenbrock and assigned to Moba Holding Barneveld B. V. on a “Distribution And Conveyor Apparatus For Eggs”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,499,623 issued Feb. 19, 1985 to J. B. Kuhl and assigned to Henry Y. Kuhl on an “Egg Cleaning Apparatus”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,867 issued Oct. 13, 1987 to H. Kuhl on an “Egg Washing Means Using Staggered Sized Flat Brushes”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,868 issued Oct. 13, 1987 to H. Y. Kuhl on an “Egg Washing Conveyor Apparatus”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,755 issued Nov. 10, 1987 to J. B. Kuhl on an “Apparatus For Cleaning Eggs”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,015 issued Dec. 27, 1988 to J. van der Schoot et l and assigned to Staalkat B. V. on an “Apparatus For Cleaning Eggs And Like Articles”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,956 issued Jan. 22, 1991 to J. van der Schoot and assigned to Staalkat B. V. on a “Washing Machine Vapor Exhaust”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,100 issued Aug. 31, 1993 to H. Elferink et al and assigned to FPS Food Processing Systems B. V. on an “Apparatus For Receiving Or Transferring, Vertically Transporting And Delivering Articles Such As Eggs”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,753,493 issued May 19, 1998 to J. G. Wiersma and assigned to Nouveau Technologies, Inc. on an “Egg Washing Decontamination Process”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,756,139 issued May 26, 1998 to A. J. Harvey et al and assigned to Solvay Interox Limited on an “Egg Washing And Disinfection Process”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,378 issued Jun. 2, 1998 to J. Kristensen and assigned to Sanovo Engineering A/S on a “Machine For Washing Eggs”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,424 issued Feb. 29, 2000 to J. McEvoy et al and assigned to Diamond Automations, Inc. on a “High-Speed Egg Processing System And Method”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,311 issued Mar. 7, 2000 to K. Nambu and assigned to Nambu Electric Co., Ltd. on an “Egg Washing Apparatus”; and European Patent EP0328222 B1 issued May 22, 1991 to J. Derksen on an “Egg-Washer”; and European Patent EP0388071 A1 issued Sep. 19, 1990 to R. Palmer on an “Egg-Cleaning Apparatus And Method”; and Japanese Patent JP07016033 A issued Jan. 20, 1995 to K. Kiyoshi et al on a “Method For Washing Egg, Egg Washer And System For Treating Shell Egg”; and Japanese Patent JPZ10117626 A issued May 12, 1998 to T. Masao on an “Egg Washing And Drying Device”; and Japanese Patent JP11146741 A issued Jun. 2, 1999 to W. Daisuke on a “Washer For Egg”; and Japanese Patent JP11155413 A issued Jun. 15, 1999 to Y. Takeshi et al on an “Egg Treating Machine”; and Japanese Patent JP200100070892 A issued Mar. 21, 2001 to H. Shinichi on a “Washing Method By Combination Of Spiral Rotary Brush And Cylindrical Rotary Brush”; and Japanese Patent JP11235135 A issued Aug. 31, 1999 to S. Hisahide on an “Egg Shell Washing And Sterilizing Apparatus”; and Japanese Patent JP2001045904 A issued Feb. 20, 2001 to A. Nobuo et al on a “Method For Washing Egg And Device For Washing Egg”.